Control mechanism



4D. P. E CKMAN cQNTRoL MECHANISM Filed Jan. 2s, 1945 Fb. zo,l 1945.

2 sheets-sheet 2 FIG. 5`

INVENTOR. DONALD R EC KMAN ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 20, 1945 CONTROL MECHANISM Donald P. Eckman, Philadelphia. Pa., assignoi to The Brown Instrument Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania v Application January 23, 1943, Serial No. 473,363

8 Claims. (Cl. 137-139) The present invention relates to air control i .systems and more particularly to air control systems which contain provisions for either manual or automatic regulation of a control pressure that is applied to a control device such as a valve.

In al1 automatic control systems provision is `made to manually control the condition ii it is desired or necessary. The manual control is usually use d when the system under control is being started up and while the variables being regulated are brought to their normal value. It is also `frequently used whenl an upset occurs in the system or when some of the related variables are being changed. In any event, particularly with air control systems, it is highly desirable to have some type of mechanism by which the air pressure applied to the control valve may be regulated manually as well as automatically.

Many air control instruments are provided with a reset or droop correcting mechanism which serves to compensate for load or other continuing changes which occur to the variable or condition being. controlled to cause it to differ from some predetermined normal value. lDuring the time such a change tothe condition takes place the instrument serves to continually change the controlled air pressure in a direction to compenstrument while the condition is on manual as well as automatic control. I

' It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to provide an air control system in which provision is made to manually or automatically control a condition. The provisions include means whereby the pressure applied to the control valve may also be applied to the reset mechanism or.

of the air control instrument which is usedto adjust the condition. whether the condition is being controlled manually or automatically. It is a further object of my invention to provide an air control system in which the system may be changed from manual to automatic control and vice versa without altering the pressure that is applied to the control valve during the changeover. It is a further object of the invention to have a control system in which the control instrument may be entirely removed while the condition i's on manual control.

The variousfeatures of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularlty in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better under- 25 standing oithe invention, however, its advantages and specic objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment .0 of the invention.

88 control provisions of .my invention.

manner' even though the pressure set up bythe control instrument has no effect on the control valve. Since the pressure set up by the control.

instrument will depend upon the time that it has taken to bring the condition up to normal. whenl 'tend to upset the condition.

This undesirable feature may be overcome by applying the pressure which is applied tothe control valve to the reset provisions oi the in- Fig. 2 is a view of the manual-automatic by-v pass valve, and

Figs. 3 to 6 are views taken on line 3- 3 of Fig. 2 showing the positions of the valve.

There is shown in Figure l a control system in which, for example, the temperature or pres-- sure of a variable condition may be measured by an air control instrument l which operates to .set up a variable air pressure dependent upon` the value of the condition. This pressure is applied to the diaphragm of a pneumatic valve 2 to vary the opening of the valve and thereby control'the flow of a condition changing medium through a pipe 3 in which the valve 2 is located.

fThe instrument l is provided ,with a spiral Bourdon tube l that is connected by a capillary tube iwith a condition responsive element (not shown) that is located in the region to be controlled. The Bourdon tube is mounted at its inmi ner en d to the instrument casing by means of a support 3 andis provided on its outer end with an arm 1 that is moved as the Bourdon tube changes in size due to the application o! pressure to it through the capillary tube I.

ments to an exhibiting element, including a pen shaft 8, through a link 3 which is connected at one end to a connection part 1A that is adjustable on arm 1 and at its other end to an arm I0 fastened to the pen shaft. The exhibiting element also includes a pen arm II and a controller actuating arm I2, both secured to the pen shaft 8.

The arm I2 is connected by a link I3 to one end of a lever I4 which'is journalled at its opposite end on an adjustable fulcrum pin It. Intermediate its ends the lever I4 is pivotally connected to one end of a link I 3, which is connected to, and forms the actuating element of a pneumatic control unit I1 included in the in-` strument I. trol point adjusting element I3 which is pivotally connected through a pivot I9 to the framework of the instrument I and includes a control point index arm 20. The member I8 includes a gear segment 2I in mesh with a spur gear 22 carried by a shaft 23 which may be manually rotated to thereby turn the member I3 about the axis of its pivot I3. The resultant adjustment of the lever I4 Lgives the link I2 an adjustment in the general directionof its length, and thereby adjusts the control point. or relation between The angular move ments of the arm 1 give corresponding move-l The pivot Il is supported by a con- III asoassv which serves to Join the closed ends of a pair of' bellows 41 and 4I. These bellows are attached at their open ends to an extension of the casing forming the chamber 4I and the space between them communicates with the atmosphere through the position of the'4V arm 1 and the adjustment of the valve 2'which the maintains.

Preferably, and as shown, the control unit I1 is of a well known commercial type disclosed in control instrument I the Moore Patent 2,125,081, granted July 26, 1938,

and including a lever 24 journalled on a pivot 25 and having an arm connected to the lever I4 by the link I6. Another arm of the lever 24 carries a apper lifting pin'2l. The latter,' on a clockwise adjustment of the lever 24, moves a ilapper valve 21 away from a cooperating bleed nozzle element 28, and thus reduces the throttling eiiect of the ilapper 21 on` the out-flow of air through the bleed orifice or passage through the nozzle 28. The dapper 21 is biased for movement toward the nozzle 23.

A change in the nozzle pressure produced through the ilapper 21 -by an initial angular adjustment of the lever 24 about its pivot 25,'resu1ts angular adjustments oi' a lever 29 which carries von lthe pivot pin 25 andlis pivotally supported by a bellows elements 41 and 42.

pivot pin 30.- A rod 3| which connects the movableends v-oi 'opposed inner bellows members 32 and 33 acts on'the lever 29 to give the latter angular adjustments when the rod is given a long!- tudlnal movement in one direction or the other. Each of the elements 32 and 33 forms a wall of a liquid illled space within corresponding outer .bellows elements 34 and '35, respectively. The liquid illled space betweenethe .bellows elements 32 and 34 is connected to the liquid filled space between the bellows elements 33'and 35, by a re-v strlcted passage through a connecting pipe 34.

' As'fshown, there is a booster or pilot valve 40 cooperating with the control unit I1 that is provided with a chamberl 4I that is supplied with air l'Il suitable openings so that air exhausted through the nozzle 4l may escape. 'Ihe outer bellows 48 is covered by a casing to form a chamber 48 that is connected with thenozzle 23 by means of a pipe III. This chamber and the nozzle are supplied with air through pipe II that is connected to the pipe 42and` which is provided with a suitable restriction l3 to limit the i'iow of air to the chamber and nozzle.

The booster valve 43 operates to maintain a control pressure in the chamber 4I which is in a proportion to the nozzle pressure in the chamber 49, equal to the proportion of the maximum cross sectional area of the bellows 41 to the maximum cross sectional area oi' the bellows 42. On an increase in the nozzle pressure acting on the bellows 43, the latter contracts and through the tubular stem forming the exhaust'noz'zle 45 moves the valve 44 away from its normal position in which it engages the nozzle 43 and opens the axial passagetl'irough said nozzle. When the dapper 44 is thus moved away from the nozzle 43. air flows through the latterirom the pipe 42 into the chamber 4I. until the pressure in the latter is increased suiliclently to restore the normal ratio between that pressure and the nozzle pressure in the chamber 43, and thereby expands the bellows 41 and 43 sumciently to permit the dapper 44 to again close the passage through the nozz1e`-43-" y e' v Conversely, on a decrease in the nozzle pressure transmitted to elements 41 and 43 elongate and the exhaust nozzle 4l has its lower end moved out of engage ment with the dapper valve 44. This permits air to escape from the chamber 4I through the bore of the nozzle 4l and a channel in the connection part 48 through which the upper end of said bore is in communication with the space between the As previously stated, that space is in Vfree communication with the atmosphere through ports between the bellows elements. v

customarily, as shown, the instrument I includes pressure gauges I3 and 34 which respectively indlcate the control pressure in the pipe 42. and the air supply pressure transmitted through a pipe 5B to the control valve 2 and the control unit I1.

In the operation of the system thus far described, a movement of the dapper 21 toward the nozzle 23 due to an increase in the value of the condition being measuredl willcause an increase in the pressure of the air in chamber 4I. This pressure is applied through pipe Il. a manualautomatic -by-passvalve Il. to be described in detail below, and pipes I1 and I3 to the control valve ,2 and the chamber 3110i the-control unit I1, re-

spectively. The valve 2 is therefore adjusted as the condition varies. The increase in air-,pressure transmitted to the chamber 31 results in a movement of thevrod 3I to the right as a result of the action of the liquid filled bellows system.

the chamber 43, the bellows "place,

aseaaer This movement to the right carries the ilapperaway from the nozzle just enough to stabilize the v pressure at the new value and to maintain the control valve in its new position. Such action produces a definite control valve position for each new position assumed by the instrument pen. It constitutes a simple throttling control in which the pen would have to remain' above 'the control index in order to maintain the higher pressure on the control valve.

If the pen is to be returned to the desired position on the chart, or the condition brought back to normal it is necessary to further increase the A pressure on the control valve.

plished through thejautomatic reset provisions.

As was noted, the liquid ll between the large on the right hand unit by the flow of liquid from left to right. As the pressures are equalized the connecting rod 3l moves to the left andthe flapper 21 again begins to cover the nozzle 28 therebyl increasing thel air pressure the correct amount to bring the temperature back to' the control point. It is inherent in the unit that the control pressure will continue to build up slowly or fall oi slowly until it has reached its limits, as long -as the conditionv is above or below the control point, respectively.

Even if the control valve 2 is' being operated by a manually regulated pressure the pilot valve 4l would operate in the manner above described. Therefore, if the condition has had its value changed manually and is subsequently shifted to automatic control the instrument would act a's if the condition had deviated from the con# ment as being applied to the control valve' atall` times, whether on automatic or manual control.

Also, in sluiting 4from automatic to manual control the manually operated pressure regulator must be adjusted to apply exactly the same pressure to the control valve as is being applied by the instrument before the changeover takes Otherwise the valve position willA be zhanged with a consequent upset .to the condiion.

In order to provide the-above described operation the invention includes a'manual-automatic by-passv valve and a piping arrangement.

now to be described.

Air is supplied to the system from a suitable source of supply through the pipe 6l, hand valve 82 and the manually operated pressure regulator 83. This regulator is usedto adjust the value of the air pressure to a standard amount, forexample 17 lbs. persquareinch, prior to the "between the plug and the body, and that it can fr sh) nected, to the valve 58 by means of a pipe 1i. This pressure gauge is preferably larger and more sensitive than the gauges 53 and 54 that are located in the instrument.

Normally speaking, the instrument would be located on a panel board and the valve 56, gauge 18 and regulator 61 would be located on thissame board below the instrument with their operating handles extending through the board. All of the piping which has been described abovel and the pressure regulator 63, are preferably located behind the panel board so that the instrument and the pressure gauge 10 may be viewed whilean operator is manipulating valve 56 and the pressure regulator 51. The manual-automatic valve 56 is shown'in detail in Figure 2 and comprises a body 12 which is `provided with a conical openingthat receives a tapered plug 13.

This plug is held tightly in place by means of aspring 14, Vone end of which bears against a washer 1'5 that is held by nuts'1'6 on 'a threaded extension 11- of the valve plugs-'13. The other end of this spring 14 bears against a plate 18 so that the valve plug is resilientlyV pulled into the opening in the valve body. The plate 18 has an extension 19 on it which engages with aprojection formed on the valve body to limit the rotation of this valve in either direction. The

plate is suitably held from rotating relativeto the extension 11 by means ,of a key-way or.`a flat on the extension 11. Projecting from the front of the valve plug 13 is a secorid extension 8l-that has mounted on it a handle 82 having" a pointer -83 formed thereon. This pointer is adapted to cooperate with v'suitable indicia on a plate 84 which may be theabove mentioned panel board to which the valve body is attached. The valve body. is provided with four ports 85, 86, B1- and 88 that are connected respectively with pipes 51 and 58, pipe 68, pipe 1| and pipe '55, 'Thevvalve body is also provided with a smallbleed port 489 that is located between parts 86 and 81. In order to form passageways in the valve so that air can be supplied as desired, the valve plug has formed in its surl'acel two grooves 90 and 9i that are separated by two' lands 9.2 and 93. Rotation of the handle 82 will, therefore, permit various of the ports to be connectedwith each other in order that an operation to be described below may be obtained in the air control system. It is noted that the valve plug will be held in any position to which it is adjusted by the friction be readilyreleased by merely pulling and turning the-handle 82 forward against the `tension ofthe spring 14.I v

For normal automatic-control, the valve is in .the position in which it is' shown in Figure 3.

In this position the regulator 61 is closed oi and the air from the pilot valve is supplied through pipev '55 and groove 38 and pipes '51 and 58 to the control valve 2 and the chamber 31 of the air control unit I1 respectively. The air from the yinstrument is also applied to the pressure gauge 18 which' gives an indication of the pressure that is applied to the control valve and, therefore, tells the position of the control valve at all times. Furthermore. by closing the valves 85 and 69 the pressure regulator 61 can 4be removed from the system for cleaning orrepair.

With the valve in the position shown in Fig# ure 4 the system is still -unler automatic control but the pressure regulator 81 is connected to the pressure gage 18 and the bleed port 89 is open.

aWith the valve in this position the pressure gauge 'plied by the instrument.

l.positions 2 and 3.

vwith this air supply so that there is a leak in the system at all times.

The air from the instrument is applied to the pressure gauge l through groove 9|.

The position that the valve assumes for normal manual control is shown in Figure 6 in which the air supply from regulator 61 is applied through pipe 68 to the valve and through pipes 51 and 58 to the control valve 2 to the control unit Il and through pipe 'H to the pressure gauge l0.

When it is desired to shift the system from the automatic control to manual control with the valve originally in the position shown in Figure 3the operator notes the pressure which is being applied to the valve asindicated by the pressure gauge 10. Thereafter, he rotates the valve to the position shown in Figure 4, which connects the air from the pressure regulator to the gauge 'l0 and adjusts this regulator until the pressure reads the same as that being sup- By quickly turning the valve between positions of Figures 3 and 4 while simultaneously adjusting the regulator -61 the pressure which is to be applied to the valve can be adjusted within the sensitivity of the gauge to exactly the pressure that is then being applied to the valve. When the two pressures are equal the operator will then adjust the valve through the position shown in Figure to that of Figure 6. In the last position the system is set up for manual control.

In shifting back from manual control to automatic control the operator notes the pressure which 1s being applied to the valve as indicated by gauge 'i0 and shifts the valve from the position in Figure 6 to that in Figure 5 to indicate the pressure which is being applied by the instrument. This should be approximately the. same as that being applied through the regulator 81 inasmuch as the same pressure which is applied to the control valve 2 is being applied to the chamber 31 of the control unit Il. If it is not 'the same, the regulator 61 will be adjusted until such time as the pressure being applied manually is equal to the pressure vbeing applied by the instrument. The valve is then rotated through he position of Flgu're4 to the position of Fig- On Figure 1 of the drawings the plate 84 is shown as a circle-and has merals I and 2 which correspond to the valve positions in Figures 3 and 4 respectively. In both of these positions theV condition is on automatic control. The 4 which correspond to .the valve positions of Figures 5 and 6 respectively. In each of these positions the systemy is on manual control. 4inasmuch as the pointer 83 is between positions 2 and 3 it would indicate that the system is being shiftedfrom. automatic to manual control or vice versa. It is to be noted that the actual change `from automatic to manual control occurs during the small movement of the valve between Movement of the valve from Vpositions-rito 2.orfrom 3 to 4 has no eil'ect on the control.

marked on -it the nu- 2,869,887 61 can be adjusted until the pressure as indicated.

vIt is noted in the system disclosed above that the pressure about to be applied to the control valve can be made exactly equal to the pressure then being applied to the valve within the sensitivity of the same pressure gauge. Therefore, any discrepancy that may occur between two pressure gauges isobviated. This system permits the change oi.' control from manual to automatic and back again without in any way upsetting the position of the control valve.

By inserting valves 94, 95 and 9B in lines 64, 55 and 58 respectively, and closing these valves the instrument canl be entirely removed from the control systems when the system is on manual control. Furthermore, by closing valves 62 and 69'the pressure regulator 6I may be removed from the system for calibration and repair.

In order to get a very high degree of correction in the regulation of the pressure, the valve can be closed and the valve 89 opened. This permits the air supplied through the pipe @t to be the result of two pressure regulators. The regulator 63, which is set for the maximum pressure for the system, supplies air to the regulator 61 which can reduce the pressure to' whatever value is necessary.

'I'he controlled air pressure from the regulator 61 is open through the bleed 89 to the atmosphere in three of the four positions of valve 56 so that the manual control air pressure is bleeding into the atmosphere, which permits avery accurate setting of this pressure. This is particularly true when the regulator that is used at 61 is of the type that will not hold a pressure correctly when connected to an enclosed volume. The appropriate use of the hand valves as indicated above will permit any of the elements of the system to be removed without disturbing any of the other elements. yThis means that a system can be kept in repair and calibration at all times without entirely closing down the control system. This is an advantage, since it is not then necessary to shut down the system when any one of the parts suffers a failure.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of the invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that `changes may be made in the form of the ap- Patent, is:

plate 8l` also has numerals I and l. In an air controlsystem, Vthe combination of a pressure operatedV control valve, an air operated control instrument operative to set up a first air pressure variable in accordance with the valueof a condition, a manually operated pressure regulator operable to set up a second air pressure, a pressure gauge, selector means operable to connect said first air pressure with said control valve and said pressure gauge, or toconneet said second pressure with said control valve and said pressure gauge, or to connect either said first or said secondpressures with said control yalve and to connect said other pressure with said pressure gauge. y

' .2. In an air control system, an air control instrument to set up a first .air pressure. a pressure regulator to set up a second air pressure,

i and said pressure gauge or to said regulator and a control valve, a. pressure gauge, a selector valve having a casing, connections between each ofA said instrument, pressure regulator, gauge and control valve and said casing, and a valve plug rotatably mounted -in said casing, Said valve plug being so formed that said control valve may be connected with either said control instrument and said pressure gauge or said pressure regulator' and said pressure gauge or can connect said control valve with said vcontroll instrument or said pressure regulator land connect the other of said control instrument or pressure regulator to said pressure gauge.

3. In an air control system, a pressure operated control valve, an air control instrument, a manually'operated pressure regulator, means to selectively connect said control' instrumentor said pressure regulator to said control valve, and means operative to alternately indicate the output pressure of said air vcontrol instrument and said pressure regulator While said control valve is connected with either pressure and prior to the time that a shift is made from one to the other whereby the pressure that is' to be applied to the valve may be adjusted to be equal to that which is presently applied thereto.

4. In an air control system, the 'combination of a pressure operated control valve, an automatic control instrument operative to supply a ilrst control pressure to said control valve, a man-l ually operated pressure regulator 'to apply a second control pressure to said control valve, a pressure gauge, and a selectormeans operable to connect either said rst or said second pressure to said control valve and to simultaneously connect either of said pressures to said pressure gauge.

5. In an air control system, the combination of a manually operated pressure regulator, a Ipressure gauge, a control instrument, means to connect said pressure gauge alternately to said regulator and said instrument, a pressure operated control valve, said means to connect also operating to connect saidvvalve' to said instrument said pressure gauge. 6. In an air control system, a control valve, an

' air control instrument having reset provisions,

means operated by said instrument to set-up a rst air pressure depending upon'the value of a condition and the time said condition has deviated from a normal position, manually operated means to set upa second control pressure, selector means operative to connect either said first pressure or saidsecond pressure with .said control valve, and a connection open at all times between saidcontrol valve and said reset provisions of said air control instrument.

7. In a control system adapted toa be either automatically or manually operated by applying an automatically adjusted pressure or a manually adjusted pressure to a control valve, the method of changing from -automatic to manual control or vice versa which consists of alternately measuring the pressure applied to the control valve and the pressure to be applied thereto by the same pressure measuring device without disturbing the pressure then applied to the control valve,

adjusting the pressure to be applied to the control valve until it is equal tothe pressure then applied to the said control valve, and cutting ofi the pressure then applied to the control Valve and applying the newly adjusted pressure thereto.

8. In a control system adapted to be operated either automatically or manually by applying a pressure to a control valve, the method of shifting from automatic to manual control whichconsists of alternately measuring the pressure automatically applied to said control `valve and a manually adjusted pressure and adjusting the latter until said' pressures are equal and while l the control valve is continuously operated by the automatically adjusted pressure, and then cutting oil said last mentioned pressure and applying said manually adjusted pressure to said control zfalve.

DONALD P. ECKMAN. 

